In the production of foodstuffs such as sausage and frankfurters (commonly known as hot dogs) a casing is typically utilized. Such casings can be natural, i.e., obtained from the intestines of various edible animals, such as cattle and sheep, or synthetic. Prior to about 1925, substantially all sausage casings were natural casings prepared from animal intestines. While numerous types of synthetic casings have been developed since that time, natural casings still remain the "elite" of the sausage industry.
In sausage processing using natural casings, an emulsion, which is basically meat, is conventionally chopped, ground, emulsified and mixed with appropriate seasonings. This emulsion is then stuffed into the natural casings, following which the sausage is linked or tied, placed on smokehouse racks and allowed to remain therein for a period of time during which coloring and curing occurs. (Special heating ovens can also be used in place of smokehouses.) After curing of the sausage has occurred, same can then be cooked in water or steam followed by cooling.
Natural casings made from intestines of animals are typically white in color, which is unacceptable to the average consumer. Accordingly, during the smoking process, sufficient wood or liquid smoke is allowed to penetrate the casing to color same. This is currently one well known manner to provide color to natural casings. In this instance, a smokehouse, with its attendant requirements for liquid smoke or sawdust, and its air pollution problems, is required for coloring the casings.
I have now found a simple composition, which, when mixed with water, is capable of providing a solution for imparting color to natural casings, thus eliminating entirely the necessity for smoking, or substantially reducing the time necessary for the smoking operation, if curing or smoking is required. Furthermore, in the area of the preparation of items such as hot dogs, my composition will allow for the formation of a natural casing with a red color. The colored casing can be conveniently transported in an aqueous solution of the composition in the absence of air.